The number of crimes against children in Karnataka has increased fivefold over the past eight years.
Story so far: In comparison to the 1,353 cases the state recorded in 2013, there were 7,261 cases documented in 2021, a more than fivefold increase in just eight years. Senior police officers claimed that as the law’s scope grew over time, so did the number of crimes.
- According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 2,813 of the instances involved sexual offences (2,848 victims).
- There were 2,469 cases of kidnapping and 2,559 cases of abduction.
POCSO: More incidents are now being recorded after the POCSO (Protection Of Children From Sexual Offenses) Act was passed in 2012. According to Dr SD Sharanappa, deputy commissioner of police, several types of crime that were previously unreported are now being reported.
- Police are still looking into about 2,563 incidents from 2020, bringing the total number of cases they will be looking into in 2022 to 9,824.